NJCU Gains National Ranking for Improving Students' Economic Futures

The Equality of Opportunity Project Rates NJCU 23 out of 369 Selective Public Colleges

New Jersey City University (NJCU)  received high marks for improving the upward mobility and economic futures of its students, according to a recent study of the role of colleges in intergenerational mobility released by The Equality of Opportunity Project.

According to the national study, titled, “Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility,” NJCU ranked 23rd for intergenerational mobility within a group of 369 selective public colleges. This means NJCU graduates have a considerably enhanced likelihood of moving up two or more income quintiles into the middle or upper classes.

With 44.8 percent of the University’s student body drawn from the lowest 40 percent of household incomes, the EOP findings—coupled with the University’s Debt Free Promise—affirm NJCU’s commitment to improving the financial futures of its graduates. Launched one year ago, the NJCU Debt-Free Promise Program is designed to make college education accessible and affordable for New Jersey residents who are pursuing their first undergraduate degree as incoming, full-time freshmen students.

To arrive at these findings, The Equality of Opportunity Project analyzed data from 30 million college students to construct mobility report cards. It ranked “mobility rate” by analyzing the fraction of a college’s students in the bottom fifth of the income distribution and the corresponding fraction that moves to the top fifth of the income distribution after graduation.

“As The Equal Opportunity Project study shows, NJCU is a catalyst for enormous change in its students’ lives. The University is enriching students’ lives academically and significantly increasing their intergenerational upward mobility,” NJCU President Sue Henderson said.

Dr. Henderson added, “NJCU is lifting students from the bottom 40 percent to the top 40 percent of earners in the nation as a result of their college experience at the University. NJCU provides a solid educational experience that helps prepare students for career success and keeps education affordable. In fact, ten years after graduation, NJCU students earn 22% more than the national average income and debt burden for NJCU graduates is the lowest of the public, four-year institutions in New Jersey.”

The Equal Opportunity Project used publicly available data, including students’ earnings and their parents’ incomes, for each college in America. For more information on the study, visit www.equality-of-opportunity.org.